Maria Cioncan (June 19, 1977 – January 21, 2007) was a middle distance runner from Romania, best known for winning a bronze medal in the 1500 metres event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Born in Maieru, she set personal bests in both 800 and 1500 metres during the games. Her 2005 season was abbreviated, and the only notable competition was the SPAR European Cup in Firenze, Italy where she won the 800 (2:00.88) and placed second in the 1500 (4:07.39). Cioncan's last competition on the top international level was the 2006 World Indoor Championships, where she failed to progress past the first heat of the 800m. Earlier that indoor season she ran an indoor personal best of 2:01.70.

On January 21, 2007, Maria died in a car accident near Pleven, Bulgaria. She was returning from a training camp in Greece when her vehicle flipped over and struck a tree, killing her instantly.

Gabriela Szabo (Romanian pronunciation: [ɡabriˈela ˈsabo], Hungarian: Szabó Gabriella; born November 14, 1975 in Bistriţa) is a Romanian track and field athlete of Hungarian ethnicity, winner of the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in 5000 m and winner of bronze and silver medals in 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics in 1500 m, respectively.

Szabo is also a three-time world champion. She always had a single coach, Zsolt Gyöngyössy, whom she eventually married. In May 2005 she announced her withdrawal from professional sport. She remains the European record holder over 3000 m.

She retired from athletics in 2005 amid health problems and a decline in her performance, citing exhaustion.